Serum Bile Acid Total
Understanding Serum Bile Acid Total
What is Serum Bile Acid Total?
The bile acid total, serum test is used to evaluate the normal functioning of the liver. Bile acids help in the absorption of food during digestion. These are synthesized in the liver and are secreted in the intestine to break down the fat of the ingested food. This test is a part of preventive health screening for liver disease.
The bile acid test is a reliable marker to diagnose hepatobiliary diseases such as acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver sclerosis, and liver cancer.
Elevated levels of bile acid total could be due to the inability of the liver to extract bile acids from the blood. It could also be a result of a liver cancer, cirrhosis, and dysfunction of the liver due to some injury.
What is Serum Bile Acid Total used for?
The bile acid, total test is done to diagnose hepatobiliary diseases such as acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver sclerosis, liver cancer, and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.
Interpreting Serum Bile Acid Total results
Interpretations
The normal reference range lies in between 0.50 - 10.00 μmol/L*
*Reference range may vary from lab to lab.